as in to backfire
to have the reverse of the desired or expected effect
the well-meaning gesture boomeranged, since he ended up being offended by it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boomerang
Verb
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There were even marketing wars that sometimes backfired, as in 1994, when Owners Abroad promised a marketing blitz after rebranding to First Choice.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025 -
The gamble backfired and his centrist bloc lost seats to the far right and far left, leaving France with a divided National Assembly and effectively ungovernable.—
Saskya Vandoorne,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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By this time, the Soviet Union had collapsed, leading Manuylov to start a business in the candy trade.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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Luckily, the airport had a failsafe in the form of a ground material designed to collapse under the plane's weight and stop it in its tracks.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Since this season’s halcyon days -- a weekend home sweep of the Yankees that got Miami even at 55-55 -- the Fish have flopped at 10-22 .—
Greg Cote
September 7,
Miami Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
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Cellphone bill flop prompts finger-pointing Hall seized on the vote breakdown as an example of Democratic lawmakers out of step with Whitmer and out of touch with public support for cellphone restrictions at school.—
Clara Hendrickson,
Freep.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Boomerang.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomerang. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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